Taylor Hall has been traded to the New Jersey Devils straight across for Adam Larsson. From where I blog, I’m going to go out and say that this has to be one of the worst Oilers trades in the history of the franchise. As a straight up deal this is absolutely terrible. Taylor Hall is one of the best left wingers in the NHL and Adam Larsson is currently a second pairing defenseman, and, frankly, there’s no way to spin this in the Oilers favour. Chiarelli grossly overpaid for a right handed defenseman. Full stop.

Aside from writing hate filled letters to Chiarelli’s office I’m trying to hold out hope that he’s not done yet — it’s the only thing that will keep me from thinking that Chiarelli has lost the plot. Even so, Adam Larsson isn’t a top 20 defenseman in the league and Chiarelli felt the need to move one of the best left wingers in the league for him. The pressure on Larsson coming in to this season will be astronomical, and I find it hard to believe that he will be able to live up to the billing of being the guy they traded Taylor Hall to get.

ADAM LARSSON SCOUTING REPORT

Upon first glance at his numbers, one might not be overly impressed. But there is much more to Larsson’s game than numbers. He is a workhorse, capable of logging major minutes in all situations. He has played with uncommon poise for a player of his age in a league against men in the Swedish Elite League the past two years. Simply put, there aren’t very many holes in Larsson’s game. He is the complete package, capable of taking over a game with his size, skating and elite two-way skills. He’s likely not going to ever contribute elite offensive numbers from the backend, but he is more than capable of rushing the puck end-to-end, making great stretch passes with his superb vision and unleashing a hard and accurate point shot.

Adam Larsson’s situation is very much a lesson on how to develop players. The young gun stepped into the NHL at the age of 18 after two solid seasons playing in Sweden’s top league. Confidence is always crucial, but to a youthful player, it’s everything. Newcomers to the NHL are going to make mistakes, and they are especially glaring if they are playing defense or goaltending. Punishing players for every single error is counterproductive, especially in the modern NHL where teaching and communication are key.

For New Jersey, their defensive core is shaping up nicely thanks to Larsson, Merrill, Gelinas and Severson. If all goes well in their development, the Devils have the makings of a very good blueline. Adam Larsson may not be the flashiest guy, or put up the numbers that some expected him to, but his game has become so much more than that. Being trusted to play big minutes every night against the top players in the game is no small feat, and teams crave individuals like that. The 22-year old defenseman has the tools, and now the confidence, to be a top defender — now it’s time for him to prove it.

Marc-Andre Fleury is having an unbelievable postseason. His current Sv% of .947 doesn’t just lead all goalies in these playoffs, it’s actually the highest Sv% of any goalie in a playoff year since the 1960s (min 8 games) …with one important caveat: he has one round yet to play. I think the biggest question heading into the…